The Riftguard
History Th is force of security was established in 2009, shortly after the arrival of Sephiroth who, seeing the sorry state of Town's defences and the lackluster display of security being spread much too thin, organised together a small group of strong yet smart individuals in an attempt to tackle a problem that had always, and continues to, plague Town; the Rifts. They officially became recognised by the Mayoral Government roughly 3 months after establishment, at which point Sephiroth became the representative of the unit for the Mayor's Cabinet. At around a year of age, the Riftguard suffered an incident involving a member of the guard escorting a new Riftborne Citizen (R.C.) to the Mayoral Hall for Rigellian Induction (a method of which to ease the transition from their world to Rigel Prima), leaving their patrol route unguarded when a monster appeared through a rift in the area, causing major damage to the Retail hub of South District. Since then, a sub-faction of the Riftguard has been introduced known as Retrievers, who 'retrieve' Citizens and important objects from Rift Event Areas across Town, when called in by a member of the Riftguard via a Communication Stone, allowing Patrolling members of the Riftguard to carry on in their posts. The Riftguard continue in this manner for many years, only coming into contact with true turmoil during the Cyborg Nazi arc. This period of time saw the death of the founder and Captain of the guard, Sephiroth. This followed a troubled time for the guard, left leaderless but remaining in good standing with the people and Princess Celestia herself, the guard continue to do their duties as best they could, the vast majority of administrative duties being taken over by Dave Strider. This eventually lead to Dave Strider being the second Captain of the Riftguard after a nearly unanimous vote by the members at the time. Dave Strider led the Riftguard to becoming an independent organization free of Equestrian government oversight with branches extending across the world to study and protect the people of Rigel Prima from the dangers of the rifts. Riftguard Dutie's' *Keeping a watchful eye on Rift activity throughout Town, allowing other security factions to deal with more internal problems and issues. *Dealing with monsters that appear through the rifts, preventing as much harm or damage to citizens and property as possible. *Working with Retrievers to properly escort and protect new arrivals into Town through the rifts. *Dealing with domestic issues of security if they are present, but prioritizing rift activity first. Other Riftguard Tasks The Riftguard don't just fight everything that comes in through the Rifts. In a lot of cases, they take monster samples and research them, as well as the rifts they came through in order to better understand their natures and develop as a defense. Aside from their primary objective of Town Stability, there are three secondary objectives: Rift Research, Monster Analysis and Security of Refugees. Rift Research Scientific advances and high levels of technology allow Riftguard to set up stations to study rifts that form as well as what is beyond the formed rift. This helps Riftguard become aware of any potential threats before they emerge and prepare accordingly. Monster Analysis Studies and observation of rift-origin fauna that originate from rifts. Security of Refugees Any that find themselves the result of emerging from a rift and stranded in Rigel Prima within Riftguard jurisdiction are protected and helped by Riftguard to acclimate to the world they arrived in. Retrievers and Their Duties Retrievers are those tasked with observational jobs, clerical work, and tasks of low danger compared to the normal work Riftguard members face. Most retrievers are tasked with manning low-danger rifts. Any that do not have any assignments regarding this patrol the Town perimeter for any unregistered rift activity not called in nor sensed yet. Clerical work entails transporting all of Riftguard's official paperwork to either Town Hall for processing or to the TPD to keep the police aware of dangerous areas of high rift activity. Retrievers are issues their own hoverbikes for use, making them capable of quickly traveling through Town with relative ease and swiftness. Induction Becoming a Riftguard requires a certain amount of skill in battle, in order to be able to face the monsters that can and often do arrive through the Rifts, or at least hold them off. There is, however, also an intellect requirement, as it's important to be able to read a situation properly in order to protect the Town during a crisis. To judge this, a Combat Trial is held for each potential initiate, usually involving the Arena within the Riftguard HQ in Central District,physical and mental aptitude under pressure. The Captain usually assign and oversee these trials, personally. However, as the guard has grown larger and their administrative duties become greater, it is not uncommon for them to pass this duty to Kakashi Hatake or Master Chief who are two of the original five members of the guard, when the Captain is busy. If successful, the new initiate is presented the Guardian Crest, and is placed in training alongside an experienced guard for a period of 2 months. Once this period is up and they have proven no reason that they will diminish the role of the guard, the candidate becomes a fully fledged Riftguard and is permitted to use all of the facilities located in HQ, as well as being given the option of Second Class Housing. For members that pass their second test and show some potential, but their abilities are in doubt, they will be put on probation and given a Guardian Crest, the final decision of whether the remain at that level or not will be with the senior member of the guard who trains them and the Captain in a joint decision. Should the candidate fail, however, depending on results, they are permitted to serve as Retrievers, and may re-take the test, if they desire, after a period of two weeks has passed (though the Retrievers, themselves, require nothing more than a moderate skill in piloting hoverbikes). In addition to the Retrievers and Riftguards, the Research and Development department of the Riftguard is always looking for new blood. Member here are judge through a review of applications by The Captain and the Research Heads that are active at the time. These members are all payed at the same level as a full Riftguard, with access to all of the same perks of the job. In Addition all of their tags and badges carry an R- before their designation number, distinguishing them from both Riftguard and Retrievers alike. Part Time Contracts Some Riftguard members only contribute to patrols on a part-time basis, as they have other duties or responsibilities, but do not receive the same benefits as full-time guardsmen, such as the assigned housing. Positions such as these are usually applied for, and only accepted if the member shows just as much skill and thought that full members are required to have, as well as the same amount of dedication. Using a part-time contract as an excuse for slacking is far from tolerated. Pay Rates for Jobs * Captain's Payrate - 80,000 per annum, 6600~ per month. (Gained because he's the goddamn Captain) * Veteran Guard/Research Head - 40,000 per annum, 3300~ per month (Gained after 2 years + a contract Review) * Full Guard/Full time R&D - 30,000 per annum, 2500~ per month * Part-time Guard/Part Time R&D - 18,000 per annum, 1500~ per month * New Guard - 12,000 per annum, 1000~ per month (Lasts for 6 months) * Veteran Retriever - 15,000 per annum, 1250 per month (Gained after 2 years + a contract Review) * Retriever - 10,000 per annum, 830~ per month * Retriever Intern - 5000 per annum, 410~ per month (Lasts for 3 months) Branches As of Captain Striders time leading the Riftguard, efforts have been made to expand the organization into an international one, with the blessings of Princess Celestia he was granted permission to expand, leaving all branches of the Riftguard to report to him, and the governments of the respective country they reside within. Within 6 months of beginning the expansion effort two countries have join the Riftguard. There own Rift based forces folding into the organization for a strong start. A full list of countries the Riftguard has permission to operate within can be found below * All of Bell'Ann * All of Terrestria, with the exception of Shinra * Rhyst * Seat of the World Known Riftguard - Town, Equestria Equestrian members are all assigned their respective numbers, with Riftguard numbers #02-#06 having been a part of the original 5 and thus didn't take the Combat Trial exam that is used today. This is the list of those who have been actively identified. Captain numbers occupy their own ranking list. The current count on Retrievers is unknown, but those who have been named and identified are also listed. Known Riftguard - Rotan Known Riftguard - Lumina __FORCETOC__ Category:Lore